Self-Reliance

I constantly tell my children to trust their instincts, form their own opinions, then make good choices. It's so easy to follow the crowd and let the opinions of others influence our choices. But, the consequences can be severe: we don't learn to trust ourselves and our self-esteem suffers.

Trusting and believing in yourself takes practice, but, so does everything that's worth doing. Be the individual that you are. Dare to stand alone in the moments when your standards, beliefs, or opinions are challenged. Know who you are. Be happy with who you are. Believe that you can do great things because you are you.

The world is so mixed up on what's right and what's wrong, why would you want to rely solely on outside criticism or media influences? Doing this will only lead you to more confusion about who you are because fads are constantly changing. This is true whether you're talking about diet methods, exercise techniques, clothing, or standards.

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, second counselor in the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, said, "What we love determines what we seek. What we seek determines what we think and do. What we think and do determines who we are and who we will become."

You are of great worth. Love yourself enough to seek for those things that will make you a better you. Your choices are the ones that will affect your life. Trust your instincts, form your own opinions, then make good choices.

Self-Reliance

Faith, Hope, Charity

Faith in Jesus Christ; Hope in the atonement; Charity, the pure love of Christ.

Tragedy can strike at any time, in any place, and does so, far too often. Communities come together to comfort one another and make sense of what's happened, whether they are ciphering through soggy remains after a hurricane or mourning the loss of loved ones after a massacre.

When supportive words and comforting hugs aren't enough to heal the pain, we can find solace and hope in the scriptures. In light of the tragic events that have occurred lately, I think we can all use a reminder that we aren't alone, no matter what our situation.

In the Book of Mormon, the prophet Moroni reminds us that the Savior, himself, told us to have faith, hope, and charity. In Moroni 7:33, we read: "And Christ hath said: If ye will have faith in me you shall have power to do whatsoever thing is expedient in me."

When we are faced with tragedies, we have the agency to decide how to react. We can hold onto anger and focus on revenge, hatred, and our devastation, or we can pray for strength and focus on forgiveness, compassion, and service.

Hatred, revenge, and wallowing in our grief doesn't heal; it only feeds the anger and pleases the Adversary. If we put our faith in Christ, He will carry us through any tragedy that may strike. He will give us the strength to move on. As we help and serve one another, we might find that there are others whose devastations are more severe than our own. We can pray for those who grieve and for those who've done us wrong. In doing so, our hearts will be lighter and we begin to feel hope.

Moroni continues his message in chapter 7 verses 40-42: "How is it that ye can attain unto faith, save ye shall have hope? And what is it that ye shall hope for? ... ye shall have hope through the atonement of Christ and the power of His resurrection, to be raised up unto life eternal."

As we strive to replace our devastation and grief with hope and faith, we will feel His comfort. As we pray for a heart of charity instead of a heart of anger, we will be filled with love instead of hatred.

Moroni 7:47-48 reads: "... charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever. ... pray unto the Father with all the energy of thy heart that ye may be filled with this love."

We may never understand why things happen the way they do, but He knows and He has a plan. We are all a part of that plan. It's my hope that we exercise our faith and seek for that pure love of Christ that will bring us the comfort we seek.

Faith, Hope, Charity

An Attitude of Gratitude

Having an attitude of gratitude every day makes us aware of the blessings that come our way.

~ Stacy J. Coles

Thanksgiving dinner is over, but our attitude of gratitude should be on-going. It's great when a holiday gives you a reason to sit down and think about what you're thankful for. But it shouldn't take a turkey dinner to help us remember all the blessings in our lives. Gather the family and find some fun ways to remind one another of what you're grateful for and make the gratitude attitude last.

Make a thankful tree. Cut leaf or ornament shapes out of colored construction paper. Have each member of your family write down what they are thankful for. Then, punch a hole in each cutout and string it on a tree. Use it as a centerpiece or decoration.

Play a thankful game. Sit in a circle and play catch with a blown-up balloon or bouncy ball. Whoever catches the balloon or ball uses a Sharpie marker and carefully writes down what they are thankful for. By the time everyone in the circle has had a turn, the balloon or ball is covered with blessings.

Create a thankful journal/scrapbook. Every year, take a picture, draw a picture, or write about what you are thankful for. Compiling these blessings is a great reminder of what we are blessed with over the years.

Play "blessing" Scrabble. As you follow the regular rules to this word-making game, take a minute after creating your word to name a blessing that starts with each letter of your Scrabble word. It might just become your favorite way to play.

If you're not the game-playing type, simply ask your kids, parents, siblings, and/or friends what they're thankful for. Or, better yet, tell your kids, parents, siblings, and/or friends how thankful you are for them being in your life. Thank them for helping you, inspiring you, or just putting up with you.

There is always something to be thankful for. It's important to remember all that we've been given and give thanks where thanks is due. Having an attitude of gratitude every day makes us aware of the blessings that come our way.

Gratitude Attitude

Congratulations to ...

Sheila Staley

You are the lucky "Thankful For Books" Blog Hop winner here at Say This Write.

Thanks to all of you who participated. I loved your comments and hope you return and keep reading my posts!

Thankful For Books Giveaway Hop

It's Blog Hop Time!

Now that the election is over, we can reflect on what we're thankful for. Whether or not your favorite candidate won, we can all be thankful that we no longer have to listen to campaign ads or avoid campaigning tele-marketers. And whether or not you feel like your vote even counted (due to the fact that the winner was called before all the votes were even in), we can be thankful that we live in a wonderful country where we have the right to vote.

Indeed, we live in a great country. This Thanksgiving season, let's take some time to reflect on our loving families, wonderful friends and good neighbors who help make it great. Let's remind ourselves how truly blessed we are and share our abundance with those in need. Let's pray for our country, our leaders, and those who are in need of extra blessings. And, if there's any extra time left over, sit down and cuddle up with a good book.

During this Blog Hop, you have the chance to win a bunch of great prizes, many of which are books.

To win here, on Say This Write, I'm keeping it pretty simple:
* Leave A Comment (Please include your name and email address so I have a way to contact you if you win!).

For extra entries, you can also:
* Join this site.
* Like my blog page (click the "Like" button on the right).
* Recommend this blog on Google (click the "g +1" button on the right).

What will you win, you ask? An autographed copy of my inspiring short story, Enjoy Today ... Before It Slips Away. It will come with a bow and custom gift tag, ready to give to that special someone in your life. (The holidays ARE just around the corner!)

This story follows Sarah through many stages of her life. She is constantly telling her mom she wants to grow up and her mother patiently reminds her to enjoy each moment before it's gone. It's a great reminder to enjoy the little things in life; a great story to have and share for the holidays.  

Before you go, click on the link below for the complete list of all the other stops on the Blog Hop. Each stop on the Hop offers fabulous prizes.

http://www.linkytools.com/basic_linky_include.aspx?id=164497

Don't Let Debt Weigh You Down

Take charge of your finances. Don't let your finances take charge of you.

~ Stacy J. Coles

The holiday season is just around the corner and it seems to hit earlier every year. We already hear Christmas music in the stores and see decorated trees in display windows. Now, before you make your list and check it twice, take a minute to make sure your finances are able to handle the demands of the season.

This is the time of year when too many people run themselves further into debt, unnecessarily. But, there are ways to avoid this and take charge of your finances before they take charge of you.

First, go back to the basics of budgeting. Make a list of all your bills, starting with the smallest and ending with the biggest.

Second, if you can, make a little extra payment (even if it's $5 or $10) on the smallest bill until it gets paid off. Once it's paid off, apply that entire monthly payment to the next bill on your list as additional principle. Continue until the second bill is paid off. Once it's paid off, apply that entire monthly payment to the next bill on your list as additional principle. Are you seeing a pattern here? I promise, it works. If you stick to this, you will be amazed at how fast you can pay off bills.

Third, put something into a savings account every month ~ even if it's five dollars. If you have the option, have a set amount automatically taken out of every paycheck and directly deposited into your savings account. That way, you won't see it; you won't miss it. And when your monthly bank statement arrives, you'll be pleasantly surprised to see your money is growing.

As far as the holidays go, don't spend what you don't have. If you know now there's something you will want to buy for Christmas, make a plan, set aside some money, and buy it free and clear when the time comes. The holidays will be a lot less stressful knowing there won't be a huge bill in the mail after the New Year.

Don't be afraid of the holidays approaching. By making sure your finances are in tact and a little planning, you will be ready to deck the halls without breaking the bank.

Finances

Look For The Good

Whether we look for the good or the bad in a person, we will find it.

~ Stacy J. Coles

We often go through the day and judge people based on the clothes they wear, the car they drive, or the job they have. We quickly label the nature of their character without knowing the nature of their situation.

Just as my late mother often advised me to look for the good in any situation, she also taught me to look for the good in people. There will always be someone around who drives us crazy. It's just human nature. The challenge is to look for something good about that person. Just one thing. Once you've found it, focus on that one thing. Compliment that person. Pray for that person. You'll soon find that your attitude has changed towards that person.

It's not about making those who annoy you your best friends. It's about looking past the annoyances. It's about acceptance. It's about kindness.

If that's too cheesy for you, look at it this way: if there is someone at work or a neighbor who is always angry or ornery, instead of assuming they are terrible and avoiding them, find out what's behind the behavior. Maybe they've just lost someone close to them. Maybe they are going through financial trauma. Maybe they are lonely and their behavior is a protective wall that's been built up over time.

Look for the good and be the one who makes a difference. You don't have to be nosy, just care enough to say "Hi," or smile, or ask how they are doing. A little effort can go a long way.

In the Walt Disney movie, Pollyanna, one little girl changed the attitude of an entire town ~ just by looking for the good. She looked past the ornery townspeople, the rude maids, and her lonely aunt, and found good in each of them. She kept her spirits high when they tried to tear her down and in the end, they had a change of heart. It would have been easy for her to leave everyone to their miserable state of mind, but she chose to look for the good in each one of them until she found it.

Granted, that was just a movie. But, the message is real. Pollyanna referred to a quote by Abraham Lincoln that she wore on a necklace. I changed it to make it a little more positive. This is my version: Whether we look for the good or the bad in a person, we will find it. The choice is ours, every day. We should put more effort in finding the hidden good in others, than focusing so much on the obvious negative.

Look For The Good